THE REBEL 253

" Who sent you here?" the stranger de-
manded.

" Rinne told me to come/5 Juha answered in
the tone of one answering an accusation.

" Well, stop here then and hold the horse."

The strangers were handsome men, almost
gentlemanlike in appearance. One had remark-
ably fine features and long and very curly hair
escaping from under his cap. He kept silent
and let the others do the talking. One of the
men strode up to the house door and knocked.
Complete silence followed the sound. He
knocked again, and immediately the door swung
defiantly wide open. Two of the men went in,
leaving the long-haired, pretty-faced man out-
side. Juha would greatly have liked to go up
to him and say a friendly word or two, a hearty
comradely word, but was afraid to do so. Best
stay at the gate—he had never done anybody
any harm. Oh, he'll look faithfully after the
horse all right—they're sure to be coming out
soon—and likely as not they'd take the gentle-
man with them. Juha began to feel easier in
his mind—he had never done anybody any
harm.

The door swung open with a crash and the
gentleman came out followed by the two men.
The gentleman's movements were quick and
sure, as though he knew where he had to go;